Subject：EDUC460 Professional Experience II (2S23-24)
Name：Chen Siqi
ID：202100152
Final Self-reflection
I have gained a lot from my experience as a trainee teacher at Aims School during
these four months. During this time, I no longer relied on books to gain knowledge,
but more importantly, I gained valuable experience in actual teaching. This internship
enabled me to get close to the students and understand their needs and interests, which
enabled me to improve my teaching skills in many ways.
Firstly, the interaction with students has brought me a lot of inspiration. Facing
students with different personalities and backgrounds every day, I learnt how to
manage the classroom better, how to care about each student, and how to assign tasks
suitable for them according to their different needs. For example, if some students are
interested in maths, I will design some challenging maths problems for them; while
for students who like art, I will assign some related creative activities. This kind of
personalised teaching method not only enhances students' interest in learning, but also
makes me feel more fulfilled and accomplished in the process of teaching.
During these four months, I also learnt how to manage teaching effectively. This
includes how to organise a classroom, how to deal with emergencies, and how to keep
order in the classroom. Managing students is not just about maintaining discipline, but
also about motivating them to learn. Through observation and practice, I have learnt
some effective management techniques, such as using positive language to encourage
students, setting clear classroom rules, and flexibly adapting lesson plans to suit
different teaching situations.
In addition, I realised the importance of reflecting on my own shortcomings. During
my internship, I realised that I still need to improve in many aspects. Firstly, I always
had a bad grasp of class time and could not finish all the activities on time. This made
me realise the importance of time management in teaching. Secondly, I didn't
encourage my students enough. Sometimes I neglected to praise and encourage my
students because of my own negligence, which caused their motivation to suffer.
Furthermore, I need to improve my English, sometimes students get confused because
of my lack of clarity of expression. Lastly, I did not set aside enough time to prepare
for the lessons, and sometimes the class was not as effective as I would have liked,
which made me realise that preparing in advance and practising over and over again
are important prerequisites to ensure the quality of teaching.
During my internship, I gradually realised that teaching is not only the transmission of
knowledge, but also the interaction and empathy between teachers and students. A
successful teacher needs not only profound knowledge of the subject, but also a deep
understanding of students and infinite patience. Through this internship, I have learnt
how to incorporate my own personal style into my teaching, how to understand
students' needs through meticulous observation, and how to enhance my teaching
through continuous reflection and improvement.
In my interactions with students, I learnt how to build a good teacher-student
relationship. Students like a positive and interactive classroom atmosphere, which
requires the teacher to be not only a transmitter of knowledge, but also a partner and
guide for the students. By interacting with students, I learnt about the difficulties and
challenges they encountered in their studies, which enabled me to be more focused in
providing counselling and assistance. I learnt how to stimulate students' thinking
through questioning and discussion, how to enhance their self-confidence through
encouragement and praise, and how to help them overcome their learning difficulties
through appropriate guidance.
In terms of teaching management, I have learnt how to respond flexibly to various
situations in the classroom. Whether it is an unexpected problem of the students or a
temporary adjustment of the teaching plan, teachers need to have the ability to react
quickly and flexibly. Through the internship, I have mastered some effective
classroom management skills, such as setting up clear classroom rules to maintain
order, using group activities to stimulate the spirit of co-operation among students,
and using a variety of teaching methods to enhance the interest and participation in
the classroom.
Learning from the classroom teacher was a beneficial part of my placement. Her
teaching style is unique, creative and energetic. She attracts students' attention
through colourful teaching activities, stimulates students' interest in learning through
lively and interesting explanations, and understands students' needs through
meticulous observation. Under her guidance, I learnt how to design and implement
various teaching activities, how to motivate students through various means, and how
to innovate and improve in teaching.
Summing up my internship experience in these four months, I feel that teaching is a
challenging and fun job. Through interaction with students, I not only help them
acquire knowledge, but also learn a lot from them. In teaching, I am not only the
transmitter of knowledge, but also the guide and supporter of students. In working
with other teachers I have also learnt that mutual understanding and tolerance are the
role models we as teachers need to bring to our students. Through continuous
reflection and improvement, I believe I will do better in my future teaching.
